Web fastening



' M. 1. THOMAS 2,817,392

WEB FASTENING Filed April 1, 1957 Dec. 24, 1957 INYENTOR (7,23 Flam/9sUnite The invention herein disclosed relates to the securing of stripsof webbing used on metal furniture.

It has been the practice in the manufacture of such articles as foldingchairs made of aluminum tubing, to secure the webbing by looping itabout the frame members in various ways and by means of straps and cordsand the like.

Such methods have required the exercise of special care and skill andinvolved considerable time and use of extra and special materials, allresultingin higher costs.

Objects of the present invention are to avoid and eliminate these andother faults and objections and to provide fastenings which can bequickly and easily ap plied or removed which will be inexpensive andwhich will actually be stronger and better than fastening means such asheretofore used.

Particular objects of the invention are to provide a light and smallform of fastening which can be put on or taken off by hand and whichwill make a neat connection of the webbing with the frame and beentirely concealed and out of the way.

Other desirable objects and the novel features through which thepurposes of the invention are attained are set forth and will appear inthe course of the following specification.

The drawing accompanying and forming part of the specificationillustrates a present, practical commercial embodiment of the invention.It is realized, however, that structure may be modified and changed, allwithin the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter definedand claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawing is a broken front elevation of a chair-back madeup of webbing attached to a tubular frame and incorporating thefastening means of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken vertical sectional view of such a chair as taken on aplane indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged broken sectional view showing one of the fastenerscaught in the doubled end of a length of webbing in position ready to besnapped into locked engagement with the frame.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the fastener fully engaged and lockedin position securing the webbing. This view may be considered as takenon line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the fastener clip.

Fig. 6 is a broken plan showing the clip engaged in the doubled-over endof the webbing.

In Figs. 1 and 2, a folding chair of more or less typical design isillustrated, made up of aluminum tubing 7 and interlaced strips ofwebbing 8, usually woven plastic or fabric.

The fasteners, as shown in Fig. 5, consist in each case of a single,curved sheet metal plate 9 of approximately truncated, triangular shapeproviding a long base edge 10, inclined sides 11, and a reduced end edge12 parallel to the base edge.

tates Patent 0 2,817,392 Patented Dec. 24, 19 57 "ice This plate iscurved from the elongated base edge 10 to the lesser end edge 12 on anarc approximating that of the tubular frame members so as to :fitclosely against the tubing with a wrap of the webbing about the same.

The fastener is held to the tubing by an integral prong 13 stuck up outof the concave side of the plate at a sharp angle to provide a shoulder14 for engagement with the front edge of a slot 15 in the tubing, andbeyond that reversely bent into a shoulder 16 for overlying the rearwardedge of that same slot.

The holding prong is further shown as longitudinally ribbed at 17 forstiffening purposes.

Also it is shown as pointed sufficiently to pass through an openingformed in the webbing.

For purposes of lightness, the plate may be perforated or skeletonizedas indicated at 18.

While the triangular shape is desirable for purposes of lightness andfor economy in blanking out the plates from strip material, this shape,while desirable, is not essential.

Fig. 6 shows how, in use, the fastener is enveloped in a turned back endportion 19 of the web looped over the elongated base edge of the platewith the holding prong passed through an opening 2'0 formed in thedoubled-over part of the web. This may be a punched or preformed openingor an opening such as would be produced by forcing the holding prongthrough the web.

The fastener may be approximately as long as the web is wide, or ofslightly less length as shown in Fig. 6 so as not to be exposed at allwhen clamped on the frame.

Fig. 6 also shows how the end of the doubled-over webbing extendsslightly beyond the lesser edge of the fastener. This is to enable thisend of the fastener plate to bind and clamp the free end of the webbingagainst the frame.

Fig. 3 shows how the fastener, after being caught in the end loop formedin the webbing, with the prong 13 extending through the opening 20 inthe loop of webbing, is positioned over the frame with concave side ofthe plate and enveloping web toward the tubing in position for the prongto snap through the opening 15.

Fig. 4 shows how with a slight rocking movement, the prong will passthrough the wall of the tubing and, in so doing, will clamp the loop ofwebbing against the outer wall of the tubing.

In this relation, the inner edge 12 of the plate will clamp and bind theoverreaching end portion of the web against the tubing and the outer orbase edge 10 of the plate will hold and grip the full width of the webwith a snubbing action. This snubbing and binding action will increaseas tension is applied to the webbing and consequently, the fastener willhold with greater effect as the load is increased.

The fasteners may be applied to the ends of the webbing after or beforethe webbing is assembled on the frame, and this can be entirely a handoperation.

When the fasteners, nested in the ends of the webbing, are applied tothe frame, they will securely hold the webbing against all usual or evenextraordinary loads but, at the same time, they may be easily removedusually by hand by applying direct lifting pressure to the base edge ofthe fastener, only sufficient :force being needed for it to snap theshoulder portion 1.6 of the prong out of interlocked engagement in thetubing slot.

The fasteners are particularly light and small and inexpensive. They donot add bulk to the chair or other piece of furniture. They are entirelyout of sight and they are strong and durable. They provide a secure,concealed connection of the webbing with the chair frame, and they canbe both quickly and easily snapped into position or be removed withoutuse of special tools or exercise of any special care or skill.

While usually made of sheet steel, the fastener plates, if desired, maybe made of lighter material such as sheet aluminum.

In addition to holding the Webbing by snubbing it about the base edge 10and gripping and binding the end by the opposite edge 12, the cliplocates the end 19 Where it will be gripped and clamped by the overlyingportion of the webbing. This holding effect may be increased bylengthening the end portion 19, Fig. 4, so that it will underlie theencircling part of the webbing for any desired distance.

What is claimed is:

1. Furniture structure, comprising a tubular member having a slot in theWall of the same, fabric in the nature of webbing and means forattaching said fabric to said member comprising a fastener plate curvedto the approximate curvature of said tubular member, said plate havingan elongated snubbing edge, 'said fabric being looped about saidsnubbing edge and extending in companion inner and outer layers fromsaid snubbing edge back across the inner concave and outer convex sidesof the plate, said plate with the fabric looped about the same beingdisposed in close fitting engagement over the slotted wall of saidtubular member with the inner concave side of the same holding the innerlayer of looped fabric against the wall of said member, and an inwardlyprojecting prong on the inner concave side of said plate extendingthrough the layer of fabric on the concave side of the plate into andthrough said slot in said tubular member and thereby securing said plateand fabric to said tubular member with said fastener plate whollycovered and concealed between said looped layers of fabric.

2. The invention according to claim 1, with a shoulder on said prongprojecting over the edge of said slot at the inner surface of theslotted wall for retaining said fastener plate in the fabric securingrelation described.

3. The invention according to claim 1, in which said prong is inclinedextending at an angle away from said snubbing edge of the fastenerplate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 202,454,408 Roth Nov. 23, 1948 2,582,579 Bedford Jan. 15, 1952 FOREIGNPATENTS 124,008 Australia Apr. 11, 1947

